Tim Perry

Checking the files, I find two slightly different weights requiring the ballast weight, so...... If flying solo, which had to be done from the front cockpit, if the pilot's weight EXCEEDED either 149 or 203 Lbs, depending on which regs you were using, then the ballast weight had to be locked into the channel in the middle of the top of the tailplane. If the solo pilot weighted LESS than those numbers, or the aircraft was being flown two-up, then no ballast weight required... Hope that makes sense!

Me too! 1975 at Locking, we had a snow storm the night going down in the train from Bristol Parkway, and my mum said the train disappeared into the snow like something out of Dr Zhivago!! But the following morning was flyable, but really cold! The flight above was also in XA310, which is now privately owned, and at the time based at Hullavington, since moved to Nymphsfield. The owner knew I was coming up to show a prototype of the model, and had let my old instructor, who is also a member of the team, know I'd be there, so he arrived with his log book, with me in it! We realised we were flying on the same Easter Sunday as I had soloed, 40 years earlier, in the same aircraft!! No names, no pack drill, but there is at least one member here in the vid! Small world! Thanks for the comments on the kit, it has been a labour of love!

Solid ones, in a newer resin, work just fine, much to my surprise! I too expected the assembly to require metal somewhere in the wing struts, and I did investigate getting some bespoke tubing rolled to the correct profile. This was doable apparently, and the cost per metre was fine. However, the minimum run they were prepared to do was....... 5 kilometres of the stuff!! So, back to the drawing board. Hence the metal tubing in the current kits, which was a painful compromise, I know! But very sturdy. Anyway, with a bit of encouragement, and against my better judgement, and, to be fair, the arrival of an apparently more suitable resin, I gave the printing route a try, and after a tiny bit of adjustment in both geometry and processing, they work! So, from now on, kits will come with resin struts, and I'll be sending out sets to those customers who already have the kit. In the meantime, I don't think I have had as much fun doing research for a product as this....

Somerset!? I'll deliver it by Kawasaki! 😃